Caleb VanArragon stays hot by winning the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
Gene Miranda and Caleb VanArragon (Gene Miranda Invitational Photo)
Caleb VanArragon, a fifth-year student at Valparaiso, finished 13-under to defeat Christoph Bleier, a junior at Colorado State, on the first playoff hole to clinch the medalist honors at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, hosted by Air Force at the Eisenhower Golf Course in USAFA, Colorado.
VanArragon shot rounds of 67-67-69, while Bleier shot rounds of 65-71-67 to force the playoff.
Along the way, VanArragon achieved a program milestone by equaling the record for the lowest 54-hole tournament score in relation to par.
Notably, this achievement took place amidst the unique challenge of playing the tournament at a high elevation of 7,200 feet, necessitating the Beacons to adjust to conditions vastly different from those they typically encounter in Valparaiso.
This marked VanArragon's 12th career top-2 finish and his 20th career top-5 finish. It also marked his third collegiate victory, adding to his previous triumphs at the 2022 Dove Mountain Intercollegiate and the 2021 Wright State Invitational.
In the team's competition, Colorado State, consisting of Christoph Bleier, the runners-up finisher, Connor Jones, Jake Rodgers, Matthew Wilkinson & Derek Lekkerkerk, secured victory in a commanding fashion for the second consecutive year, posting impressive rounds of 292-279-280, resulting in a runaway win at 13-under.
They left no room for doubt, maintaining an 11-stroke lead over the University of Wyoming team, who finished 2-under to claim the runner-up position in the tournament.
ABOUT THE Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
54-hole college tournament hosted by the Air Force
Acedemy. Team (best four scores out of five players
each round) and individual competitions.
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